Vast amount of energy is consumed by modern civilization. The continual rise in energy costs and environmental concerns result in the continual push to reduce energy consumption, forcing nations to expend considerable resources into energy conservation. Because the utilization of lights is an integral part of the human life, the industry keeps striving to develop more efficient products that save energy, reduce cost, and last for a longer period of time. The U.S. government encourages industries to produce energy efficient light bulbs, awarding energy star certification to products that meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lighting products that have earned the Energy Star label deliver the same or more amount of light than a conventional incandescent bulb while using less energy.
As a result of these efforts, energy star certified light bulbs were developed, such as light omitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which use about 70-90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. However, these types of lights might not be desirable in certain applications because of the type of light that is being emitted and because of their technical limitations, such as with dimming. As such, there is still a need to investigate other means for reducing energy consumption.
Accordingly, a need exists for a lighting product that conserves energy, while allowing the utilization of a variety of light source types.